“Thanks for walking me to class, Marek, and for”—she ghosts her hand between us— “whatever that meant.”
“I’ll be here to walk you to your next!” I yell as she walks up the steps. Her hand stills on the door handle, and she stares down at me, opening her mouth to disagree. “Palmer, I’ll be here. I promise.”
After every class, Palmer walks out of with wide eyes and a grumpy attitude, and I show up like a lovesick puppy.
“Your face is going to get stuck if you keep doing that!” I holler from the bottom step.
She stands above me, scanning her eyes around the space. Is she going to jump over the bushes to avoid me? She takes several steps down, crossing her arms over her perfect chest.
“Are we seriously still doing this?”
“What, being chivalrous?” I offer her my arm. She denies me and pushes past, heading towards the main courtyard.
“If that’s what you want to call yourself, then live it up, Hawthorne, but you and I both know you are anything but.” She glances over her shoulder. A small hint of a smile has me moving towards her.
“Hungry?” I circle her and start to walk backwards, watching Palmer try to not be amused by me.
“You’re going to run into someone.” Her eyes widen, and she gasps.
I check the pathway and find it clear. She giggles, knowing she got me.
“Will you have lunch with me?” I ask.
“That depends. Will you stop showing up after class, acting like a possessive boyfriend, and making everyone stare at me?” She twirls her finger in the air, warning me to turn around.
I spin and avoid smacking into a group of dancers practicing in the courtyard. Palmer laughs under her breath, and suddenly, I am transported to before, before it all happened. Little moments of light make me believe one day she won’t look at me like the savage we both know I am.
“Please have lunch with me.” I open the door to the cafeteria, holding it for Palmer. “It won’t kill you.”
“No, but maybe you’d like another chance.” Heavy steps carry her to the nearest table, and she slides into the booth, running her fingers over the silverware. “I’m sure there’s something sharp in here that you could slice my flesh with.” She yields a butter knife in her hand, circling it midair in my face.
I bend down, one hand on the table and the other on the back of the booth. She hisses as I rest my mouth against her ear. “If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”
When I stand, I expect her to drive the dull edge into my thigh, but instead, I’m greeted with a surprising smile.
“I’ll take a pretzel,” she says, swallowing heavily with a shallow breath. She opens her mouth again, but I cut her off.
“With all the sauces.” I nod. “I know what you want, Palmer.”
“Okay, then.” She relaxes, turning her attention to the window.
As she watches the snow begin to fall, a magical gleam fills her eyes, experiencing winter from the warmth of the cafeteria. I’ve only seen one other person admire the wonderment of the season like Palmer.
Distracted by a girl who, for all intents and purposes, hates me, I’m jerked back to stark reality by a tap on the shoulder.
“That girl has you boys all twisted up,” Dillon says, reaching past me for a bottle of water and a giant slice of pizza.
“What do you know about it, Johnson?” I cut my eyes at him. “And you’ll play like shit if you eat all that garbage.”
“What I eat isn’t any of your concern. Plus, I don’t play like shit, ever.” He walks around me. “And word is you and the boys found themselves in quite the situation because of her.”
On campus, mouths are always flapping. The shit everyone’s made up after the rooftop incident hasn’t surprised me one bit. People have claimed to witness things that never happened, and others offering their opinions have created quite the storyline for them to try to sort out.
What it’s done is put a bigger target on Palmer’s back. Whoever is out to get her, whoever killed Reed, is still out there. The fucking police in this town are useless.
“Let me guess, dear old dad, has had plenty to say.” I order a pretzel with sauces from the lady behind the counter before facing Dillon again.
“Actually, he hasn’t said a word. Says your girl’s full of shit, and she’s using her poor sister’s death as